REFLECTOR: Engine Answer?

Jim Agnew jim_agnew_2 at yahoo.com
Sun Feb 3 11:32:28 CST 2008


Hi Chuck,

Have you read about the Gasoline Diesels?  MB and Toyta are working on them and they have some interesting results.

http://blogs.motortrend.com/6212872/technology/new-mercedes-gas-powered-engine-uses-diesel-dna/index.html
 
James F. Agnew
Jim_Agnew_2 at Yahoo.Com
Tampa, FL
Velocity 173 Elite Aircraft Completed & Flying



----- Original Message ----
From: Chuck Jensen <cjensen at dts9000.com>
To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list <reflector at tvbf.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 3, 2008 10:27:41 AM
Subject: REFLECTOR: Engine Answer?

We've seen so many too-good-to-be-true alternative engine technologies that we roll our eyes whenever we see the next one. One that has potential to be a bit different is the legacy engine effort, being worked on at Oak Ridge, TN with technical support of Oak Ridge National Lab and University of Tennessee and some decent (if inadequate) money behind them.  It has aspects of a rotary engine and Wrankel but is designed to run of heavy fuels, such as kerosene.  Hallmarks:

*  An increase in efficiency of approximately 16% over an equivalent crankshaft engine
*  Potential for greater than 1.6 hp/lb 
*  Potential for 200 hp/ft3 of installed volume

While the efficiency improvement over a crankshaft/recip engine is modest, its biggest asset for aircraft (which they have not even thought about) is the energy density.  A 300hp unit would weigh 188# and be about 15" diameter and about 15" long.  As can be seen from the website, http://www.legacyengine.com/home/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1 they are as much into finding partners and investors as they are about explaining the technology--not a good sign, but also not unusual for a start up.  They don't intend to manufacturer the engine, simply develop and license the technology.  

Anyhow, I would give it a 2%-3% chance of ever seeing the light of a commercial day, but if it did, even if it fell a tad short of its performance specs, what an awesome aircraft engine--using heavy fuels at that.

Chuck Jensen

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